New hard drive doesn't fit

Hi,

I just bought a new Samsung hard drive to replace the dying one in my old laptop. This morning I tried to install it. I removed the metal shell from the old drive and put it on the new one; the screw holes lined up and everything seemed to fit (both are 2.5" laptop drives). Everything but the pins that I need to connect the drive to the system. The pins on the old drive slide down into slots at the end of the bay, but with the new drive, the pins don't even reach the slots.

The new drive is an SSHD (hybrid) drive, but I don't think that should make a difference. Do I need to buy a Samsung installation kit? Is there some kind of conversion or extension piece that will bridge the gap? Or am I just out of luck and unable to make this work?

2.5" Laptop drives come in several thicknesses, here's a reference article see form factor. Is the new drive thicker than the original? You may need to return it and get a thinner one. I am unaware of any adapters to solve this problem. HTH

Thanks, RetiredGeek. I just checked the specifications at both manufacturers' sites, and they're both 9.5 cm.

My first post was hasty and incomplete. My old drive is a Samsung, but the new one is a Seagate. The original is a Samsung HM250JI; the new one is a Seagate ST1000LM014. My laptop is a an HP Pavilion dv6675us. Both disk drives are SATA.

Here are two photos to show the difference. The first one is the new drive and you can see the gap between the black slots and gold pins on the left. The second photo is the old drive and shows how it should be fitting.

Ya, between the two pics there's definitely a little black insert missing, has two small protective tabs that extend out on each end of the connector strip. Also in the first pic, the non-drive part where the tiny little slots are; no exposed wires in them. Second pic, the little exposed wires are there in the tiny slots. Seems a whole peice is missing.

The drives are all a standard size, but the way they connect to different computers can be very different indeed.
Some just slide in from the outside of the drive, like in a little tray, while others are practically 'Buried' down inside the PC.

A close examination should reveal what's different between the old drive and the new one.

I've seen several different setups, but I've never been Unable to Replace a drive.

There is an adapter, clearly visible in your photos, over the pins on the old drive. RG, F.U.N., and satrow all spotted it, but you don't seem to be paying attention to them, so I've highlighted it in this photo. Use a small, flat-bladed screwdriver or something similar to push the tabs F.U.N. mentioned in the direction of the arrows and off the pins. Push the adapter onto the pins of the new drive. Problem solved.

There is an adapter, clearly visible in your photos, over the pins on the old drive. RG, F.U.N., and satrow all spotted it, but you don't seem to be paying attention to them, so I've highlighted it in this photo.2.png

My guess is that he's been pulling his hair out trying to figure out what you, RG, FUN, and Satro easily spotted, because he hasn't been doing this sort of thing for very long.